Winning Time's Larry Bird Actor Wrote A Separate Miniseries For The NBA Star
Sean Patrick Small, who will star as Larry Bird in the new HBO drama, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, wrote a separate miniseries following the early life of the NBA star. Small grew up playing basketball for Los Altos High School and realized that he bore a striking resemblance to Bird. Once enrolled at USC to pursue acting and writing, Small started researching Bird’s life.
According to Deadline, Small began writing a four-part miniseries after reading the book, When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball, which details the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson after the NCAA championship game in 1979. Small's version of the story adds extra context to the rivalry by following the early lives of Bird and Johnson. Although Small's series has not been picked up yet by any networks or streaming sites, Small has been cast as Bird in Winning Time, replacing Bo Burnham, who was previously cast in the role.
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From having done his own research on Bird, Small was positioned well to take on the character in Winning Time, which is being produced by Adam McKay (Succession). It's expected that Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty will focus more heavily on the perspective of the Lakers' rise to success both on the court and in business. However, whether Small's performance as Bird will steal the show due to his in depth knowledge of Bird's life is something audiences will have to look out for when the series premieres on March 6, 2022.
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Sources: Deadline
Gina Levine is a freelance writer for Screen Rant. Gina graduated from the University of
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